Danchi babu or Damchi babu ( bn, ড্যাঞ্চিবাবু) was the term used by the locals in present-day

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...

to refer to the middle class

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Ben ...

travellers in a queer and funny manner. The term 'Danchi' is a corrupt form of the English words 'damn cheap' and 'babu' stood for the affluent Bengali Hindu gentleman belonging the

bhadralok Bhadralok (, literally 'gentleman', or 'well-mannered person') is Bengali for the new class of 'gentlefolk' who arose during British rule in India in the Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. Caste and class makeup Accordi ...

class.

Origins

In the 19th and the 20th centuries, especially during the British period, middle class Bengali Hindus from

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

used to vacation in the small towns like Simulata, Madhupur,

Jasidih Jasidih is a satellite town of Deoghar in the Deoghar subdivision of the Deoghar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. This town's railway station connects Deoghar to other cities. Geography Location Jasidih is a Hill Station located ...

→ etc. of present-day

for health benefits. In 1871, one Bijoynarayan Kundu, a

came to the region while the railway track between Giridih and Madhupur was being laid. He is said to be the first

to discover the salubrious climate of the region, who constructed a house and settled down there. Gradually the word spread and many Bengali Hindus began to come to the region for vacation. They considered the trip as a welcome change compared to the city life of

, and hence came to be known as 'changers'. The vacationers widely believed that the weather and water in those areas was conducive for good health. The vacation became an annual affair followed with religious sincerity. During the vacation, the vacationers would often visit the local grocery markets, where the locals sold their fresh produce of meat, fish and vegetables. The prices were low compared to that in

. Surprised at the unusually low prices, the Bengali Hindu bhadraloks would often exclaim at each other saying 'Damn cheap!' or 'Damned cheap!'. The locals, who couldn't understand properly what the vacationers pronounced or meant, began referring to the vacationers as "'Damn cheap' babus", which gradually got corrupted into 'Danchi babu'.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Jharkhand Indian English Ethnic and religious slurs Bengali Hindus Regional nicknames Class-related slurs

Origins

See also

References